Comments

I've added a "comments" feature to this site. Why? I dunno. ;)

Life as a racer

Here is a cool article on Pinkbike.com written by Mical Dyck about World Cup racing from the racer's perspective.

Race Schedule 2006

Time to start planning... My race "wishlist", with local races omitted.
Thanks to Ride424.com for posting all the race info. As a fledgling racer I've found it to be a fantastic resource.

1/21/06 The Dirty Dozen 12 hr. race

5/20/06 The 24 Hours of Conyers *World Championship Qualifier

4/29/06 TransIowa V.2

6/10/06 The 24 Hours of Big Bear

7/30/06 The Jay Challenge MTB only

8/25/06 The 24 Hours of Allamuchy

9/16/06 Churn n Burn 24 Hour Race

Happy Holidays

At 28 years old, I have found cross-country riding to be my favorite way to let the minutes, hours and days slip away. In a society where free time is a commodity and personal time is even rarer, I feel so proud to have a lifestyle that allows me vast amounts of free time to ride. It is my passion, my livelyhood, and my dream.

If a computer was tasked with an algorithm that would take personal data from a user and spit out a list of probable persuits for them, it would most certainly pick bike riding for me. Undoubtably, if it crunched numbers and came up with cycling, it would of course also pick XC riding. I love the woods, love getting dirty, enjoy the company of like-minded cohorts, and I'm fit and healthy enough to attack any challenge ahead with aplomb.

So why then I ask you, am I staring at a brand new Evil D.O.C. frame? Throw caution to the wind and slap your babies goodnight, I'm going to pretend I'm invincible and ride the street. I can't fight it... a higher power is at work. Details to come...

TransIowa 2006

Registration opens/closes TOMORROW!
This is the 2nd iteration of the TransIowa, this year covering a distance of 337 miles in about 35 hours. Did I mention that it is 100% self-supported, or that it is mostly "off" road on gravel?
I did the math. We're talking about a 12+mph average assuming a few hours of sleep.
Last year, 51 started and only 9 finished.
I'm going to try to enter but chances of me getting in are slim... there are limited spots available with a lot of people gunning to be in the race. Good Luck!
2006 TransIowa V.2

DIY Night Riding Lighting System

HomeGrown LED-based night lighting system. It is difficult project unless you've done electrical work before, but the system was built for under $100. A bargain. considering the $500 price tag on some high-end HID systems.

Not everything in life needs to be on two wheels...

Alex Grey
The Superficial

Swobo.com is live

Quoted from Swobo.com:

but the fact is, one day you just kind of wake up, and realize that this isn't a dress rehearsal. How we make our money is just as important as how we spend it. Changes that we've seen for the worse are connected to our environment, and our environment’s health is determined by its inhabitants. Not government. Not religious leaders. Not Wal-Mart or Exxon, but us.

Kurt Vonnegut said it best…

"...the epitaph for the planet, I remember, which he said should be carved in big letters in a wall of the Grand Canyon for the flying-saucer people to find, was this:

WE COULD HAVE SAVED IT BUT WE WERE TOO DOGGONE CHEAP"

This isn't Hippy banter…this is real time applied to old school. Join us as we ride into new territory. Thanks for listening.

Ass on high

Here is a great article on NSMB.com written by Riley McIntosh & illustrated by Bruce Robertson.
Those riders, like myself, who started on XC bikes and moved on to long travel duallies will get a kick outta this.
http://www.nsmb.com/trail_tales/seathigh_11_05.php

Riding Single Speed Again

My SS is usually a fully geared steel Vicious Cyles Metal Guru, but for the 2nd Fall/Winter I have stripped the bike down to 1fuckinggear and boy am I having a blast!

Dismayed with the performance of my Surly Singulator on a converted single speed last winter, I set out to find a better way to tension my chain. No eccentric, vertical dropouts and stock wheels meant to keep the chain a hanger-mounted tensioner was my best bet.

The primary flaw of the Surly unit is that it provides tension via a spring. The spring works fine but getting proper tension was never easy, and twice I had the steel spring mar the aluminum body and render it useless. I resorted to ghetto fabing it with zip-ties to the chain stay.

This season I’ve opted for the Rennen Rollenlager, and have put in about 20 rides so far. The unit is nearly perfect in concept and execution. It tensions perfectly, all the time. The Rollenlager looks hot as well. An understated matte black anodized finish with the company’s name etched into the side. Perhaps unique in its genre, this tensioner pivots off the rear axle of the bike. Actually, to be fair, it pivots on the quick release. The clamping force of the QR keeps the Rollenlager in place but the tension is fixed solid by a 2nd bolt that threads through the body and into the derailleur hanger. GENIUS! All necessary hardware is provided and is stainless steel. It can be used with a standard QR wheel, or if street/park is more your style, it also accepts a solid axle. The chain rolls on a black urethane roller that rides on a pair of cartridge bearings. Shhh! Can you hear that? Exactly. It is quiet, and quiet makes me happy.

Upon seeing mine a friend had to have it, and uses it on his urban 26r now… like me -- he’s totally thrilled. You too can roll if you’re willing to way the $50 premium.

Here’s the only problem I’ve found: When changing a flat you need to pull the QR apart and carry a 17mm wrench to loosen the tension bolt. I always carry a small adjustable so it was never an issue for me.
Contact Rennen Design Group for more info.